Craig Armstrong: Far from the Madding Crowd - Original soundtrack

Classic FM Drive Featured Album, 27 April 2015, after 6pm

Grammy Award winner Craig Armstrong, the popular film composer of Love Actually and William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet, returns with this powerful and beautiful score to the latest big screen version of Thomas Hardy's classic.

Far from the Madding Crowd tells the story of independent and headstrong Bathsheba Everdene – played by Carey Mulligan – who attracts three very different suitors. This timeless story of Bathsheba's choices and passions explores the nature of relationships and love - as well as the human ability to overcome hardships through resilience and perseverance.

All the drama and passion of the story is captured in Armstrong's warm, pastoral strings and orchestration. There are also nods to traditional British ballads, as well as the expected romantic cues.